JP6976958B2 - Inventory management system and inventory management method - Google Patents

Description

(Mutual reference to related applications)
This application claims priority under Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2016900222 on February 16, 2016. The content of this provisional application is incorporated into this application by reference.

The present disclosure relates generally to inventory tracking, and more specifically to inventory management systems and methods of managing inventory in containers with a plurality of compartments.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a radio frequency identification method in which data is electrically stored on a tag and the data is read by an RFID reader. RFID tags can be attached to items that are to be identified or tracked. RFID tags may be passive, active or semi-passive. Different types of readers are used for different types of tags.

Tags and labels can be attached to these articles with minimal interference with the articles. Therefore, RFID provides a simple and efficient way to track objects. For example, an inventory management system can scan a container with an RFID reader, count the number of these items using an RFID tag attached to the item, and identify these items.

Any discussion, operation, material, device, article or any other contained herein, all or part of it, may form part of the foundation of the prior art or any related field that existed prior to the priority date of this application in each claim. It is not interpreted as something that is self-identified as common general knowledge of.

When RFID is used for inventory tracking, the strength of the antenna used can be pinpointed in relation to the exact location of the tracked item in relation to the placement of the container used for the item to be tracked. It may not be something like that. For example, if one RFID antenna is placed next to two drawers in a single cabinet and the RFID tag is identified by a reader, the identified tag will be in one of these two drawers. Might happen. One solution is to use two separate antennas for each drawer and electromagnetically separate the drawers with an electromagnetic shield. This allows each antenna to read only the contents of its drawer. However, providing an electromagnetic shield is cumbersome and expensive, and its scale cannot be easily changed.

This specification describes an inventory management system and an inventory management method that can more specifically determine the position of an article to be tracked by reading with higher accuracy obtained from an RFID system.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an inventory management system for managing inventory in a container having a plurality of compartments. The inventory management system includes an electrical reader, at least one antenna that communicates with the electrical reader, a controller, and a processor. The electrical reader is configured to read multiple electrical labels within multiple compartments of the container. Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article within each of the multiple compartments of the container. Each of the electrical labels identifies the article. At least one antenna is associated with two or more compartments. At least one antenna is configured to read electrical labels within two or more compartments. This causes the electrical reader to identify a group of labels associated with two or more compartments. The controller controls access to one selected compartment at a time. The processor determines the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to a group of labels and one selected compartment.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is an inventory management system for managing inventory in a container having a plurality of compartments. This inventory management system includes an electrical reader, a controller, and a processor. The electrical reader is configured to read multiple electrical labels within multiple compartments of the container. Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article within each of the multiple compartments of the container. Each of the electrical labels identifies the article. The electrical reader comprises at least one antenna. The controller controls access to one selected compartment at a time, and the processor responds to a group of labels and one selected compartment to determine the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article. ..

At least the container compartment may be substantially transparent to electromagnetic radiation emitted from at least one antenna.

In certain embodiments, the electrical reader may continuously read a plurality of electrical labels using at least one antenna. In another embodiment, the electrical reader may periodically read a plurality of electrical labels when or after the selected compartment is accessed. As used herein, the term "periodic" means to be repeated at regular or irregular intervals, unless in clearly different contexts.

The processor may update the contents of the determined compartment and the compartment position of the article when or after the selected compartment is accessed.

At least one antenna does not have to respond to the electrical label direction.
At least one antenna may be between compartments. This causes the electrical reader to read the electrical label in the upper or lower compartment of at least one antenna.

The controller may control access to the plurality of compartments based on a list of candidate articles set by the user and activated by the user identification function.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is an inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having a plurality of compartments. This inventory management method is based on the steps of reading multiple electrical labels in multiple compartments of a container, controlling access to multiple compartments, and the accessed compartments and read labels. It comprises a step of determining the contents of the compartment and the location of the compartment of each article. Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article in one of the multiple compartments of the container. The reading step may be performed with at least one antenna that reads the electrical labels in the plurality of compartments.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is also an inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having a plurality of compartments. This inventory control method is a process of receiving the identification data of a plurality of electrical labels in a plurality of compartments of the container read from a single antenna associated with the plurality of compartments, and to the plurality of compartments. It comprises a process of monitoring access to and a process of determining the contents of each compartment and the location of each compartment in response to the received identification data and the monitored access. Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article within each of the multiple compartments of the container. Each of the electrical labels identifies the article.

The step to determine may be performed when or after the partition is accessed.

The receiving step may include reading a plurality of electrical labels in a plurality of compartments of a plurality of containers.

The method may further comprise a step of controlling access to one selected compartment at a time.

In certain embodiments, the reading step may be continuous. In another embodiment, the reading step may be performed periodically when or after the selected partition is accessed.

The method may further include the step of generating or updating a location database for the determined compartment location of the article.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is also an inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having a plurality of compartments. This inventory management method includes a step of receiving a candidate list of articles set by the user, a step of acquiring a partition position for each article from a location database, and a step of giving an access control setting based on the partition position. If there is access, a single partition with a step to monitor which compartment is accessed and the identification data of multiple read electrical labels in multiple compartments of the container. The process of determining the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to the steps received from the antenna and the monitoring of the monitored access and access to the compartment, and the determined compartment location of the article. Provides a step to update the location database for. Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article in one compartment of the container. Each of the electrical labels identifies the article.

The step of reading the identification data of the plurality of read electrical labels may include the step of reading the plurality of electrical labels in the plurality of compartments.

The method may further include controlling access to one selected partition at a time in response to access control settings.

Throughout the specification, the term "equipped" or a variant thereof "equipped" means that a specified element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps is included, but others. It should be understood that no element, integer or step, or group of any other element, integer or step of is excluded.

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and by way of example only.
It is a schematic diagram of the inventory management system used in the 1st configuration of a cabinet. It is a schematic diagram of the inventory management system used in the 2nd configuration of a cabinet. It is a flow chart which shows the embodiment of the inventory management method in the container which has a plurality of sections. It is a flow diagram which shows another embodiment of the inventory management method in the container which has a plurality of compartments. It is a flow diagram which shows still another embodiment of the inventory management method in the container which has a plurality of compartments. In the drawings, similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of an inventory management system used with a container such as cabinet 102. The cabinet 102 has a plurality of compartments. In this example, the compartments are three drawers 104, each containing the article 106 tracked by the inventory management system 100. Each of the articles 106 has an electrical tag 108 in the form of an RFID tag associated with the article 106. For example, the tag 108 is adhesively attached to the tied article 106. The system 100 includes at least one electrical reader 110 for reading the tag 108 of the article 106.

In the embodiments described, the RFID reader 110 includes an RFID antenna 112. The type of tag 108 to be read responds to the RFID antenna 112. For example, a passive RFID tag is read using an emitting antenna with sufficient power to activate the tag. Typically, the antenna 112 is a direction-insensitive antenna. This means that the antenna 112 can read the RFID tag in the cabinet 102 in any direction with respect to the antenna 112.

The inventory management system 100 includes a controller 114 that controls access to the drawer 104. The inventory management system 100 also includes a processor 120. The processor 120 determines the contents of the drawer 104 based on the drawer accessed by the controller 114 and the tag 108 read by the reader 110.

The controller 114 accesses the drawer 104, for example, by controlling an electrical locking system that locks and unlocks the drawer 104. This allows the user to open an unlocked drawer. Typically, the controller 114 only allows access to one drawer 104 at a time. In some embodiments, the controller 114 can also control the operation of a mechanical actuator that opens an unlocked drawer. An example of a drawer and lock configuration available is a drawer slide with an integrated electric lock. One example is the Accuride 38EL® integrated electric lock. This is from Accuride International, Inc. , 12311 Shoemaker Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA, 90670, USA. This drawer slide has sensor feedback for a controller 114 that indicates the locked state of the electronic lock and / or drawer.

The controller 114 has a user interface 116. The user interface 116 receives input from the user associated with the article retrieved from and / or stored in the drawer 104. In some embodiments, the user interface 116 includes an authentication mechanism 126. The authentication mechanism 126 activates access control by being given together with the user identification function. For example, the user has a swipe card and the authentication mechanism 126 is a magnetic reader. When the magnetic reader identifies the user and authenticates the user's attributes, the controller 114 activates an access control setting to unlock or unlock any one of the required drawers 104. Although the authentication mechanism has been described with reference to swipe cards, any other suitable authentication mechanism may be used. For example, an RFID card reader, a biometric authentication mechanism, or the like may be used.

The user interface 116 includes an indicator for displaying to the user which drawer 104 is unlocked. In some embodiments, the indicator is displayed on the display 117 of the user interface 116. In another embodiment, each of the drawers 104 has an enunciator 128, eg, an LED associated with the drawer 104 to inform the user which drawer 104 has been accessed by the controller 114.

The controller 114 communicates with the inventory database 118. Inventory database 118 contains information about inventory items and their locations, and the contents of each drawer 104. The controller 114 acquires location information from the database 118 based on an input indicating a user request. The controller 114 then unlocks and opens the drawer 104, or provides access to another suitable drawer 104. In this embodiment, the database 118 is shown inside or above the cabinet 102 as described above. However, the database 118 may be configured remotely with respect to a cabinet 102 including a controller 114 that communicates with the database 118 wirelessly or in a wireless manner.

The processor 120 processes data received from the RFID reader 110 with respect to any tag 108 identified within the cabinet 102. Processor 120 also processes data about withdrawal access received from controller 114. In certain embodiments, the withdrawal access data is based on the access given by the controller 114, i.e., which withdrawal 104 is unlocked by the controller 114. In another embodiment, the withdrawal access data is based on the actual access, i.e., whether the withdrawal 104 was physically opened (initiated by the control 114 or opened by the user). In some embodiments, if the controller 114 unlocks the drawer 104, the cabinet 102 may include a sensor for monitoring actual access, such as a position sensor or displacement sensor (eg, a Hall effect sensor) (eg, Hall effect sensor). Not shown). The processor 120 may perform data communication with the database 118, and may periodically update the inventory data stored in the database 118.

FIG. 1B shows another embodiment of the inventory management system 130. Here, the antenna 112 of the electrical reader 110 is between the two drawers 104 of the cabinet 102. Antenna 112 reads both tag data from the two drawers 104. In this embodiment, the processor 120 affects both access control to the cabinet 102 via the communication link 140 and processing of access control data and processing of RFID data received from the reader 110 via the communication link 142. To exert. The processed data is stored as inventory data in the inventory database stored in the memory 144 of the processor 120.

In any of the embodiments described, the processor 120 may be an execution instruction and a general purpose microprocessor stored in the associated memory (eg, memory 144) in a suitable programming language. Processor 120 may also be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processing processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or any other suitable processing hardware component. The controller 114 is typically software mounted on a suitable processor (in some embodiments, mounted on the processor 120).

In any of these embodiments, the drawer 104 typically does not include an electromagnetic shield. Therefore, the drawer 104 is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the antenna 112. This makes it possible to configure a cost-effective cabinet. It also allows the reader 110 to use a single antenna 112 to read a plurality of compartments at once, depending on the size and configuration of the cabinet or compartment, and depending on the power of the antenna 112 of the electrical reader 110. It means that it can be used. Moreover, the lack of a shield allows the system 100 to be easily modified from the existing cabinet 102.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an inventory management method for a container having a plurality of compartments, which is generally referred to by reference numeral 200. At 202, the reader 110 reads the RFID tag 108 inside the various drawers 104 of the cabinet 102 via the antenna 112. At 204, the controller 114 controls access to the drawer 104, for example by controlling an electrical locking system that locks and unlocks the drawer 104. This allows the user to open an unlocked drawer. In some embodiments, the controller 114 may control the operation of a mechanical actuator to open the unlocked drawer 104.

After access to one or more drawers 104 of the cabinet 102, the processor 120 is based on the RFID tag 108 read by the antenna 112 of the reader 110 at 202 and the access control performed at 204. It determines which of the articles 106 (each of the articles 106 is tied to the RFID tag 108) is present in the cabinet 102. Processor 120 also determines which drawer 104 has article 106 inside, depending on which drawer 104 has been (or may have been) accessed. It is assumed that a particular drawer 104 is accessed and some change in the article 106 is detected between before the drawer 104 is accessed and after the drawer 104 is accessed. In this case, article 106 would indicate that it was removed from and / or stored in this particular drawer 104.

In some embodiments, the reader 110 continuously reads the contents of the cabinet 102 by activating one or more antennas 112 at a time for the purpose of scanning the contents of the cabinet 102. Then, the reader 110 simply updates the database when the RFID tag 108 read by the reader 110 changes. In another embodiment, the reader 110 simply reads the contents of the cabinet 102 after access to the drawer 104 or after the drawer 104 is actually accessed. In the latter case, the reader 110 may read the contents while the drawer 104 is being accessed and / or after the drawer 104 is accessed and unlocked.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of an inventory management method in a container provided with a plurality of compartments, which is another embodiment, and is generally designated by reference numeral 300. At 302, RFID tag data identifying the article 106 in the cabinet 102 is received. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in some embodiments, these data are read by a single reader 110 with a single antenna 112. In another embodiment, there may be a single reader 110 with a plurality of antennas 112 activated one at a time. However, in yet another embodiment, a plurality of readers 110 may be used, for example for containers with multiple compartments or for spatially dispersed articles belonging to the same collection (eg adjacent compartments). In the latter example, the data from each of the antennas of the reader 110 (s) are integrated into a single set of tag data. In some embodiments, the tag data is continuously read using a reader 110 and an antenna 112 that constantly read the tag data in the cabinet 102. In another embodiment, the tag data is read periodically. If a plurality of antennas 112 are also referenced, it will be appreciated that each of these antennas 112 is also configured to read the contents of the plurality of drawers 104 of the cabinet 102.

At 304, a step of controlling access is shown. Here, the controller 114 controls access to one or more drawers 104 of the cabinet 102. At 306, displacement sensors (not shown), such as magnetic sensors and capacitive sensors, are used to monitor actual access to the drawer 104. At 308, based on the RFID data received at 302, the contents of the drawer 104 are determined along with information about which drawer 104 was accessed. Each of the articles 106 is assigned and associated with a compartment position indicating a drawer 104 in which the article 106 resides. Each time the drawer 104 is accessed, the position is typically determined after the drawer 104 has been accessed, closed, and relocked.

At 310, the parcel location database for each of the articles 106 determined in 308 is updated.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of an inventory management method in a container provided with a plurality of compartments, which is still another embodiment, and is generally designated by reference numeral 400. At 402, the candidate list of articles 106 set by the user is received by the controller 114 via the user interface 116. More specifically, the user inputs a list of one or more articles 106 to be removed from the cabinet 102 into the user interface 116 of the controller 114. At 404, the controller 114 accesses the location database 118 to find a withdrawal position for each of the articles 106 present in the user list. At 406, controller 114 determines access control settings. This allows the user to access one drawer 104 at a time to retrieve the selected article 106. The drawers 104 are unlocked or unlocked one at a time in a particular order. This provides restricted access to the drawer 104 so that the article 106 and its location within the cabinet 102 can be accurately tracked.

At 408, the controller 114 monitors the actual access to the drawer 104 of the cabinet 102. At 410, RFID tag data is received from the reader 110. At 412, monitored access data and tag data are used to determine the contents of each drawer 104. Then, the drawer position is associated with each of the articles 106. When the location data is changed for each article, the data is updated at 414. And as shown in 416, the updated data is stored in the location database 118.

An advantage of the systems and methods described herein is that they eliminate the need for electromagnetic shielding between compartments to distinguish the contents of adjacent compartments. The container compartment typically does not include an electromagnetic shield. The container compartment is therefore transparent to electromagnetic radiation emitted from the antenna (s) of the electrical reader. This allows the reader to utilize a single antenna to read multiple compartments at once, depending on the size and configuration of the cabinet and the power of the electrical reader's antenna. This means that more cost-effective cabinet structures are available, as shields can be costly. Further, this makes the proposed solution universal. This is because it is available for various types of cabinets and compartments and does not need to be customized with electromagnetic shields. The lack of a shield allows the warehouse management system to be easily deployed in existing cabinets.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and / or improvements can be made to the aforementioned embodiments without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that this embodiment is for illustration purposes only in all respects and not for limitation purposes.

Claims (19)

An inventory management system for managing inventory in containers with multiple electromagnetic shielded compartments.
It comprises an electrical reader, at least one antenna that communicates with the electrical reader, a processor, and a controller that is software implemented on the processor .
The electrical reader is configured to read a plurality of electrical labels within the plurality of compartments of the container.
Each of the electrical labels is associated with an article in each of the plurality of compartments of the container, and each of the electrical labels identifies the article.
The at least one antenna is associated with two or more compartments.
The at least one antenna is configured to read the electrical labels in the two or more compartments at a time, whereby the electrical reader is the label associated with the two or more compartments. Identify the group and
The controller controls the locking or unlocking of one selected compartment at a time.
The processor determines the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to the group of labels and one selected compartment.
Inventory management system. An inventory management system for managing inventory in containers with multiple electromagnetic shielded compartments.
It is equipped with an electrical reader, a processor, and a control that is software implemented on the processor.
The electrical reader is configured to read multiple electrical labels in multiple compartments of the container at once.
Each of the electrical labels is associated with an article in each of the plurality of compartments of the container, and each of the electrical labels identifies the article.
The electrical reader comprises at least one antenna.
The controller controls the locking or unlocking of one selected compartment at a time.
The processor determines the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to the group of labels and one selected compartment.
Inventory management system. At least the compartment of the container is substantially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the at least one antenna.
The inventory management system according to claim 1 or 2. The electrical reader continuously reads the plurality of electrical labels.
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The electrical reader periodically reads the plurality of electrical labels when the selected compartment is locked or unlocked , or after it is locked or unlocked.
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The processor updates the contents of the determined compartment and the compartment position of the article when the selected compartment is locked or unlocked , or after it is locked or unlocked.
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The at least one antenna is characterized by being directional insensitive .
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The at least one antenna is between compartments, whereby the electrical reader reads the electrical label in the compartment above or below the at least one antenna at a time.
The inventory management system according to claim 7. The controller controls locking or unlocking of the plurality of compartments based on a list of candidate articles set by the user and activated by the user identification function.
The inventory management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. An inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having multiple compartments without electromagnetic shields.
The step of reading a plurality of electrical labels in the plurality of compartments of the container,
The step of controlling the locking or unlocking of the plurality of compartments, and
A step of determining the contents of each compartment and the location of the compartment of each article based on the locked or unlocked compartment and the read label.
Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article in one of the plurality of compartments of the container.
The reading step is performed with at least one antenna that reads electrical labels in multiple compartments at a time.
Inventory control method. Controlling the locking or unlocking of the plurality of compartments comprises controlling locking or unlocking of one compartment which is selected at a time,
The inventory management method according to claim 10. An inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having multiple compartments without electromagnetic shields.
A process of receiving the identification data of a plurality of electrical labels in a plurality of compartments of the container read from a single antenna associated with the plurality of compartments.
The process of monitoring the locking or unlocking of the plurality of compartments and
It comprises a process of determining the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to the received identification data and the monitored locking or unlocking.
Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article in each of the plurality of compartments of the container.
Each of the electrical labels identifies the article and
The receiving step comprises reading a plurality of electrical labels in a plurality of compartments of a plurality of containers at once.
Inventory control method. The determination step is performed when the compartment is locked or unlocked , or after it is locked or unlocked.
The inventory management method according to claim 12. Further comprising a step of controlling the locking or unlocking of one selected compartment at a time.
The inventory management method according to claim 12 or 13. The reading step is continuous,
The inventory management method according to claim 14. The reading step is performed periodically when the selected compartment is locked or unlocked , or after it is locked or unlocked.
The inventory management method according to claim 14. Further comprising the step of generating or updating a location database for the determined compartment location of the article.
The inventory management method according to any one of claims 12 to 16. An inventory management method for managing inventory in a container having multiple compartments without electromagnetic shields.
The step of receiving the candidate list of goods set by the user, and
Steps to get the parcel location for each article from the location database,
A step of giving a lock or unlock control setting based on the compartment position,
If a locking or unlocking comprises the steps of which partition to monitor whether the locked or unlocked,
A step of receiving identification data of a plurality of read electrical labels in a plurality of compartments of the container from a single antenna associated with the plurality of compartments.
The process of determining the contents of each compartment and the compartment location of each article in response to the identification data and the monitored locking or unlocking and locking or unlocking of the compartment.
A step of updating the location database for the determined compartment location of the article.
Each of the electrical labels is tied to an article in one compartment of the container.
Each of the electrical labels identifies the article and
The step of receiving the plurality of read electrical labels comprises reading the plurality of electrical labels in the plurality of compartments at once.
Inventory control method. 18. The inventory management method of claim 18, further comprising the step of controlling locking or unlocking to one selected compartment at a time in response to the locking or unlocking control settings.

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